North Wales Medical Aid to Tamil Nadu

In May 1989, North Wales Medical Aid to Tamil Nadu was launched as a registered charity, under the chairmanship of the then Archbishop of Wales, the Most Reverend Alwyn Rice-Jones, to establish a primary health clinic and carry out medical relief work in the villages of Tamil Nadu, South East India.

Follow this link to the North Wales Medical Aid to Tamil Nadu site >>.

The first clinics were begun in February 1990 in Irumaram, a village 20 kilometres from Kancheepuram. This was followed in 1991 by the establishment of another clinic in the neighbouring village of Adavapakkam.

In the same year, six leach pit toilets were built in Irumaram and a bore well was sunk to provide running water to the villages The North Wales Medical Trust donated a vehicle which enabled a mobile clinic to be established in the neighbouring villages. 

In 1990, the Friends of North Wales Medical Aid to Tamil Naduwas formed, who have raised, not only much needed funds, but also the profile of the charity, from varied and innovative fund raising events around North Wales.

In 1992, a Community Centre was built in Irumaram using funds raised in North Wales, and the staff and pupils of Denbigh High School visited the village to initiate the construction of the building. Also in 1992 the Tamil Nadu Village Trust was formed. 

In 1993 another premises was acquired in Adavapakkam to run a medical clinic and training centre. In 1994, the Health Care Studies department at Llandrillo College started their regular visits to the villages to establish a health education programme. In 1995, several nursery centres were set up and primary and health education clinics established.   During 1996/97 District 18 of Inner Wheel raised more than £9,000 for the construction of a purpose-built Child Development Centre, to be erected adjacent to the Community Centre in Irumaram.

All aspects of child development will be incorporated in structured learning, including:-

• Learning through play
• Physical development
• Communication
• Self-help and Responsibility
• Imagination and Creativity
• Understanding ideas and the world around them

An application for equipping and five year running costs of the Child Development Centre was submitted to The Community Fund and a grant of £67,201 was awarded to the charity in June 1999.

The Child Development Centre was officially opened on 2nd December 1999, and is now fully staffed and equipped, and able to take children from the age of 2 up to the age of 5.

A comprehensive syllabus has been devised, based on learning through play, and regular workshops and training on child care take place for staff, parents and volunteers.

Apart from our work within the Child Development Centre, many other initiatives have been introduced:-

• self-help groups
• cultural and handicraft training
• tailor training
• community awareness training

• dental programmes
• STD/HIV/AIDS awareness programmes
• polio awareness sessions
• herbal medicines

If you wish to make a donation, however small, or join the Friends of North Wales Medical Aid to Tamil Nadu, please contact us. We would be pleased to send you a Gift Aid form or you may click this link to bring up a copy of the form which you can print yourself.

If you are a U.K. tax payer, Gift Aid allows people to donate any sum, either once or on a more regular basis, and the charity benefits from the amount of tax that would be paid on the donated sum, in addition to that sum. We hope to hear from you soon